Liquid cooling device and air collector thereof

ABSTRACT

A liquid-cooling device and an air collector thereof are provided. The air collector includes a tank, an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a barrier plate. The inlet channel is located at one end of the tank and extended into the tank. The outlet channel is located at the other end of the tank and extended into the tank. The barrier plate is located in the tank between the inlet channel and the outlet channel. The diameter of the tank is greater than those of the inlet channel and the outlet channel.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)on Patent Application No(s). 104219082 filed in Taiwan, Republic ofChina on Nov. 27, 2015, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention

The invention relates to a liquid-cooling device and an air collectorthereof, and in particular to an air collector applied to theliquid-cooling heat dissipation device.

Related Art

Nowadays, in cars, refrigerators, personal computers, or variouselectronic apparatus, excessive heat occurs when engines, motors,central processors and the like are operating. Without effectivedissipation, the heat gradually accumulates so the excessive heat causesworse performances of the processor or other important components andeven damages these devices. Therefore, these apparatus are equipped withheat dissipation devices for dissipating the heat generated during theoperation of the elements so as to improve the overall operationefficiency of the apparatus or the equipment. It is important for theheat dissipation device to have better heat dissipation capability.

Generally, heat dissipation methods for heat dissipation devices aremainly classified into two categories: air-cooling heat dissipation andwater-cooling heat dissipation. Water has about 26 times thermalconductivity of air, so the water-cooling heat dissipation has betterheat dissipation capability compared with the air-cooling heatdissipation. For better heat dissipation, it is preferable for thewater-cooling heat dissipation device that there is only liquid in thepipes of the device but no air. After prolonged use, it is stillpossible that external air enters the pipes. The air entering the pipesreduces the overall thermal conductivity of the cooling water in thepipes. Therefore, the water-cooling heat dissipation device(liquid-cooling device) preferably has an air collection device, forexample an air collector, to collect the air within the pipes so as tomaintain the heat dissipation performance of the liquid-cooling device.

Therefore, it is needed to provide a simple and effective liquid-coolingdevice and an air collector thereof which can keep the pipes of theliquid-cooling device containing only liquid by effectively collectingthe air within the pipes of the liquid-cooling device to avoid thereduction of the heat dissipation efficiency caused by the air withinthe pipes and further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of theliquid-cooling device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the disclosure is to provide a simple and effectiveliquid-cooling device and an air collector thereof which can keep thepipes of the liquid-cooling device containing only liquid by collectingthe air within the pipes of the liquid-cooling device to avoid thereduction of the heat dissipation efficiency caused by the air withinthe pipes and further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of theliquid-cooling device.

An air collector according to the disclosure includes a tank, an inletchannel, an outlet channel, and a barrier plate. The inlet channel islocated at one end of the tank and extended into the tank. The outletchannel is located at the other end of the tank and extended into thetank. The barrier plate is located in the tank between the inlet channeland the outlet channel. The diameter of the tank is greater than thoseof the inlet channel and the outlet channel.

In one embodiment, at least one part of the periphery of the barrierplate is connected to an inner wall of the tank.

In one embodiment, the whole periphery of the barrier plate is connectedto the inner wall of the tank, and the barrier plate has at least anopening.

In one embodiment, the barrier plate and the inner wall of the tank havean included angle, and the included angle is a right angle, acute angle,or obtuse angle.

In one embodiment, the barrier plate is in a flat-plate shape, a wavyshape, a bending shape, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the inlet channel and the outlet channel are alignedor misaligned.

In one embodiment, the tank is a rigid body whose material includesmetal, plastic, or a multilayer structure of combination thereof

In one embodiment, the tank is an elastomer whose material includessilica gel or rubber.

A liquid-cooling device according to the disclosure includes a body, afirst pipe, a second pipe, and an air collector. The air collectorincludes a tank, an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a barrierplate. The inlet channel is located at one end of the tank and extendedinto the tank, and the outlet channel is located at the other end of thetank and extended into the tank. One end of the first pipe and that ofthe second pipe are respectively attached to the inlet and the outlet ofthe body. The other end of first pipe and that of the second pipe arerespectively attached to the outlet channel and the inlet channel of thetank. The barrier plate is located in the tank between the inlet channeland the outlet channel, and the diameter of the tank is greater thanthose of the inlet channel and the outlet channel.

In one embodiment, the body further includes a pump, and the pumppressurizes a liquid within the body to drive the liquid to flow throughthe body, the second pipe, the air collector, and the first pipe.

In one embodiment, at least one part of the periphery of the barrierplate is connected to an inner wall of the tank.

In one embodiment, the whole periphery of the barrier plate is connectedto the inner wall of the tank, and the barrier plate has at least anopening.

In one embodiment, the barrier plate and the inner wall of the tank havean included angle, and the included angle is a right angle, acute angle,or obtuse angle.

In one embodiment, the barrier plate is in a flat-plate shape, a wavyshape, a bending shape, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the inlet channel and the outlet channel are alignedor misaligned.

In one embodiment, the tank is a rigid body whose material includesmetal, plastic, or a multilayer structure of combination thereof

In one embodiment, the tank is an elastomer whose material includessilica gel or rubber.

As mentioned above, the air collector of the liquid-cooling deviceaccording to the disclosure can effectively collect air in the pipes ofthe liquid-cooling device. When air enters the air collector, the airalong the barrier plate stays in the air collection space formed betweenthe tank and the portions of the inlet channel and the outlet channelwhich are extended into the tank, and the air is also prevented fromflowing out from the outlet channel. Accordingly, air is collected andair in the pipes is reduced. Moreover, because the tank itself mayrotate at any angle, the air collector can prevent air from entering theoutlet channel regardless of any movement or displacement of the aircollector caused by the external environment to maintain the function ofair collection. Therefore, it may be applied to the liquid-coolingdevices of various equipment, for example the liquid-cooling device ofportable electronic apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become more fully understood from the detaileddescription and accompanying drawings, which are given for illustrationonly, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the application of the aircollector according to the disclosure to the liquid-cooling device;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the air collector according to thedisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the air collector according toanother embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B are schematic diagrams showing the air collectoraccording to another embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.Moreover, the drawings of all implementation are schematic, and they donot mean the actual size and proportion.

The terms of direction recited in the disclosure, for example up, down,left, right, front, or rear, only define the directions according to theaccompanying drawings for the convenience of explanation but not forlimitation.

The names of elements and the wording recited in the disclosure all haveordinary meanings in the art unless otherwise stated. Therefore, aperson skilled in the art can unambiguously understand their meanings.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showingthe application of the air collector of the disclosure to theliquid-cooling device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the aircollector of the disclosure. The liquid-cooling device 2 according tothe disclosure includes a body 20, a first pipe 21, a second pipe 22,and an air collector 1. The body 20 has an inlet 201 and an outlet 202,and a pump 203 is disposed in the body 20. The pump 203 may pressurize aliquid within the body 20 to drive the liquid to flow through the body20, the second pipe 22, the air collector 1, and the first pipe 21 so asto form a close flow path.

The air collector 1 according to the disclosure includes a tank 11, aninlet channel 12, an outlet channel 13, and a barrier plate 14. One endof the first pipe 21 and that of the second pipe 22 are respectivelyattached to the inlet 201 and the outlet 202 of the body 20, and theother end of the first pipe 21 and that of the second pipe 22 arerespectively attached to the outlet channel 13 and the inlet channel 12of the air collector 1. Moreover, the inlet channel 12 is located at oneend of the tank 11 and extended into the tank 11. The outlet channel 13is located at the other end of the tank 11 and also extended into thetank 11 like the inlet channel 12. The barrier plate 14 is located inthe tank 11 between the inlet channel 12 and the outlet channel 13. Thediameter of the tank 11 is greater than those of the inlet channel 12and the outlet channel 13. The inlet channel 12 and the outlet channel13 may be located at two opposite ends of the tank 11 or located at twoadjacent ends of the tank 11, and their locations are not limitedthereto. In addition, the inlet channel 12 in axial alignment with theoutlet channel 13 is illustrated for example in the figure. However, theinlet channel 12 and the outlet channel 13 may not be axially aligned(misalignment shown in FIG. 4B), either.

In detail, the inlet channel 12 is locate at one of the two ends of thetank 11 in the long-axis direction, and the outlet channel 13 is locatedat the other end. A portion 121 of the inlet channel 12 and a portion131 of the outlet channel 13 are further extended into the tank 11. Asshown in FIG. 2, the long tubular inlet channel 12 and outlet channel 13are respectively inserted into the tank 11 at the two ends of the tank11 in the long-axis direction to form the air collector 1. Then, thebarrier plate 14 is located between the inlet channel 12 and the outletchannel 13. Namely, the barrier plate 14 is located in the tank 11between the portion 121 of the inlet channel 12 and the portion 131 ofthe outlet channel 13. Moreover, the size (i.e. diameter) of the tank 11is greater than the diameters of the inlet channel 12 and the outletchannel 13, and thus an air collection space S is formed in the tank 11.

It should be noted that the structural connection between the barrierplate 14 and the air collector 1 shown in FIG. 2 is just schematic forthe convenience of explanation. The actual connection will beillustrated in detail in the following drawings and paragraphs.

By the above mentioned structure, when air a flows into the aircollector 1 via the inlet channel 12, the air a flows into the tank 11along the portion 121 of the inlet channel 12 first. After touching thebarrier plate 14, the air a flows toward the air collection space Sabove the tank 11 along the barrier plate 14 and then stays in the aircollection space S instead of flowing out of the tank 11 through theportion 131 of the outlet channel 13. As a result, the air collector 1collects the air a and reduces the air in the pipes of theliquid-cooling device. The air collection space S means the space whichis formed between the inner wall 111 of the tank 11, the portion 121 ofthe inlet channel 12 which is extended into the tank 11, and the portion131 of the outlet channel 13 which is extended into the tank 11.Moreover, because an air collection space S (i.e. volume for collectingair) is necessary for collecting air a in the tank 11, the tank 11 isnot fully filled with liquid and an air collection space S needsreserving for collecting air.

For example, the tank 11 may rotate or flip at any angle. Regardless ofany movement or displacement of the air collector 1 caused by theexternal environment, air a still similarly flows into the tank 11 alongthe inlet channel 12 and then is isolated into the air collection spaceS by the barrier plate 14. Therefore, the air collector 1 can be appliedto mobile liquid-cooling devices, for example the liquid-cooling deviceof portable electronic apparatus. Moreover, the tank 11 of the aircollector 1 is, for example but not limited to, a rigid body or anelastomer. If it is a rigid body, its material includes metal, plastic,or a multilayer structure of combination thereof. If it is an elastomer,its material includes silica gel, rubber, or the like.

Then, the arrangement of the barrier plate 14 in the air collector 1 isfurther illustrated. Referring to FIG. 3, it is a schematic diagramshowing the air collector of the liquid-cooling device according toanother embodiment of the disclosure. It should be noted that thebarrier plate 14 drawn in FIG. 2 is just schematic for illustrating theoverall structure of the air collector 1, and the detailed arrangementis shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the whole periphery of the barrier plate 14 c isconnected to the inner wall 111 of the tank 11. In this case, thebarrier plate 14 c has at least an opening 141 for allowing air a toflow through. The above mentioned connection may be made by, for examplebut not limited to, integrally molding, bonding, engagement, or thelike.

Referring to FIG. 3, the barrier plate 14 c and the inner wall 111 ofthe tank 11 has an included angle θ, and the included angle θ may be aright angle, acute angle, or obtuse angle. In detail, the included angleθ indicates an included angle between the barrier plate 14 and the innerwall 111. For example, the included angle θ is a right angle of 90degrees in FIG. 3. It should be noted that the arrangement and themagnitude of the included angle drawn in FIG. 3 is just for illustrationbut not for limiting the disclosure. In practice, they may be varieddepending on the specification of the liquid-cooling device or theelectronic device product which the air collector 1 is applied to.

Referring to FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B, they are schematic diagrams showing theair collector of the liquid-cooling device according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure. As to the shape of the barrier plate 14,in addition to the flat-plate shape shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, it mayalso be a combination of the wavy shape and the bending shape like thebarrier plates 14 d, 14 e shown in FIG. 4A. Then, regarding to thelocations of the inlet channel 12 and the outlet channel 13, referringto FIG. 4B, the locations are aligned in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, butthey may also be misaligned as shown in FIG. 4B.

The above mentioned aspects of the drawings are used for illustrationonly but not for limitation. In the disclosure, the number of thebarrier plate 14, the included angle between the tank 11 and the barrierplate 14, and the arrangement of the inlet channel 12 and the outletchannel 13 all may be varied depending on the specification of theliquid-cooling device or the electronic device product which the aircollector 1 is applied to. For example, the wavy barrier plate 14 d isarranged with the misaligned inlet channel 12 and outlet channel 13, andthe tank 11 and the barrier plate 14 have the included angle θ which isa right angle. For example, the bending-shaped barrier plate 14 e isarranged with the misaligned inlet channel 12 and outlet channel 13, andthe tank 11 and the barrier plate 14 have the included angle which is anacute angle. Moreover, it should be noted that, similar to FIG. 2, thebarrier plates 14 drawn in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B is just schematic, andthe detailed arrangement is shown in FIG. 3.

In summary, the air collector of the liquid-cooling device according tothe disclosure can effectively collect air in the pipes of theliquid-cooling device. When air enters the air collector, the air alongthe barrier plate stays in the air collection space formed between thetank and the portions of the inlet channel and the outlet channel whichare extended into the tank, and the air is also prevented from flowingout from the outlet channel. Accordingly, air is collected and air inthe pipes is reduced. Moreover, because the tank itself may rotate atany angle, the air collector can prevent air from entering the outletchannel regardless of any movement or displacement of the air collectorcaused by the external environment to maintain the function of aircollection. Therefore, it may be applied to the liquid-cooling devicesof various equipment, for example the liquid-cooling device of portableelectronic apparatus.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limitingsense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well asalternative embodiments, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover allmodifications that fall within the true scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An air collector, comprising: a tank; an inletchannel located at one end of the tank and extended into the tank; anoutlet channel located at the other end of the tank and extended intothe tank; and a barrier plate located in the tank between the inletchannel and the outlet channel; wherein the diameter of the tank isgreater than those of the inlet channel and the outlet channel.
 2. Theair collector of claim 1, wherein at least one part of the periphery ofthe barrier plate is connected to an inner wall of the tank.
 3. The aircollector of claim 2, wherein the whole periphery of the barrier plateis connected to the inner wall of the tank, and the barrier plate has atleast an opening.
 4. The air collector of claim 2, wherein the barrierplate and the inner wall of the tank have an included angle, and theincluded angle is a right angle, acute angle, or obtuse angle.
 5. Theair collector of claim 1, wherein the barrier plate is in a flat-plateshape, a wavy shape, a bending shape, or a combination thereof.
 6. Theair collector of claim 1, wherein the inlet channel and the outletchannel are aligned or misaligned.
 7. The air collector of claim 1,wherein the tank is a rigid body whose material includes metal, plastic,or a multilayer structure of combination thereof.
 8. The air collectorof claim 1, wherein the tank is an elastomer whose material includessilica gel or rubber.
 9. A liquid-cooling device, comprising: a bodyhaving an inlet and an outlet; a first pipe whose one end is attached tothe inlet; a second pipe whose one end is attached to the outlet; and anair collector, comprising: a tank; an inlet channel located at one endof the tank and extended into the tank, wherein the inlet channel isattached to the other end of the second pipe; an outlet channel locatedat the other end of the tank and extended into the tank, wherein theoutlet channel is attached to the other end of the first pipe; and abarrier plate located in the tank between the inlet channel and theoutlet channel; wherein the diameter of the tank is greater than thoseof the inlet channel and the outlet channel.
 10. The liquid-coolingdevice of claim 9, wherein the body further comprises a pump, and thepump pressurizes a liquid within the body to drive the liquid to flowthrough the body, the second pipe, the air collector, and the firstpipe.
 11. The liquid-cooling device of claim 9, wherein at least onepart of the periphery of the barrier plate is connected to an inner wallof the tank.
 12. The liquid-cooling device of claim 11, wherein thewhole periphery of the barrier plate is connected to the inner wall ofthe tank, and the barrier plate has at least an opening.
 13. Theliquid-cooling device of claim 11, wherein the barrier plate and theinner wall of the tank have an included angle, and the included angle isa right angle, acute angle, or obtuse angle.
 14. The liquid-coolingdevice of claim 9, wherein the barrier plate is in a flat-plate shape, awavy shape, a bending shape, or a combination thereof.
 15. Theliquid-cooling device of claim 9, wherein the inlet channel and theoutlet channel are aligned or misaligned.
 16. The liquid-cooling deviceof claim 9, wherein the tank is a rigid body whose material includesmetal, plastic, or a multilayer structure of combination thereof
 17. Theliquid-cooling device of claim 9, wherein the tank is an elastomer whosematerial includes silica gel or rubber.